CLG vs Evil Geniuses

Finally, to close out the week, we have a fairly enticing clash between Evil Geniuses and Counter Logic Gaming. This is basically a fight between two very solid, well-rounded contenders, and they need to perform for a wide variety of reasons. First of all, we're at the halfway point of the split, and this is where every single win matters immensely. They simply cannot afford to underperform and drop games if they intend on building momentum, reaching the playoffs, and potentially leaving a mark.

Both teams want to make 2020 count, but they're also equipped with different weapons and philosophies. Evil Geniuses, for one, aren't the subdued, macro-oriented challenger that's going to take things one step at a time and play the game "by the book." Instead, they'll throw caution out the window and just skirmish whenever the opportunity arises. Such a playstyle isn't always all that great, but it has garnered them quite a fair bit of respect and admiration. They are, however, a binary team, so to speak. They're either unrelenting and are styling on their opposition, or they implode beyond measure and just roll over en route to a one-sided defeat. That's Evil Geniuses in a nutshell, basically. Sometimes we see the former, sometimes the latter, but it's becoming more and more obvious that they can only control this volatile nature to a certain degree. You never know which shade of Evil Geniuses will step foot on stage to compete, and their perplexing drafts and tendencies don't help out either. They're a strange team to read right now, and they're also bafflingly inconsistent, both as a five-man unit as well as on an individual level. One game they'll look like an absolute, top-tier behemoth, only to implode and fumble mere hours afterwards.

Counter Logic Gaming, on the other hand, is much of the same, although their highs are much lower, with their lows being less pronounced as well. They've sort of eased into this pretty acceptable mid-tier gatekeeper status. They're not amazing, but they're far from bad. That might not sound all that great, but for a team that was the laughing stock of the region mere weeks prior, this is a very commendable improvement. Still, even though they're much better and more sound as a unit, they're just not good enough to compete at the highest of levels. Short-lived flashes of brilliance aren't enough to push them into challenger status, nor should it be enough against a team like Evil Geniuses. Well, if EG decide to draft well and play to their strengths. That's always a big "if" whenever they're competing, which means predicting this game with confidence is downright impossible.

Still, they've done enough over the last couple of weeks to earn our trust and should, by all means, be able to get the win tonight.